Apparatus for delivering and receiving mail.



J. T. JEFFRIES & R. L. LYNGIL. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING AND REOEIVINGM'AIL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25,1910.

978,894. Patented Dec.20, 1910.

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978,894. Patented Dec.20,191 0.

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JOHN THOMAS JEFFRIES AND ROBERT LEE LYNCH, F CAMPBELLSBURG, KENTUCKY.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Application filed July 25, 1910. Serial No. 573,751.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN THOMAS JEF- rnins and ROBERT LEE LYNCH,citizens of the United States, residing at Campbellsburg, in the countyof Henry, State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Apparatusfor Delivering and Receiving Mail, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to apparatus for effecting the interchange ofmail between stations and moving cars, one of the objects of theinvention being to provide novel means for holding a mail pouch inposition to be properly delivered, the connection between the .pouch andits support being such as to readily disengage the pouch while theexchange is being effected.

A further object is to provide mechanism of this character which can bereadily manot easily get out of order.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts here inaftermore fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :F igure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, a portionof the re ceiving device being broken away. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section through the delivering device, the lower armthereof be ing shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the partsshown in Fig.1. Fig. 4: is a plan view of the arm of the receivingcrane. Fig. 5 is a section on line AB Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a section online CD Fig. 4. Fig 7 is a section on line GH Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is asection on line IK Fig. 4;. Fig. 9 is a view partly in plan and partlyin section of the pouch-engaging arm.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a postconstituting the upright portion of the delivering crane, this post, ifdesired, constituting one of the jambs of the door of the car E. Thisupright has a longitudinal passage or bore 2 therein and alongitudinally extending slot 3 opens into this passage and is formed inthe outer face of the upright. The slot 2 is provided, at its lower end,with an extension 41 projecting into one side of the upright portion 1.

A slide 5 is mounted within the passage 2 periphery thereof.

and is preferably cylindrical so as to be capable of rotation therein,this slide being provided with a radial arm 6 projecting through theslot 3 and adapted, when the arm is brought to the lower end, to swinginto' the extension 4 and across the door opening. A cord 7 is securedto the upper end of the slide and is mounted on a sheave 8 journaledwithin the upper portion of the upright 1, this cord being secured to acounter-balance 9 which is slidably mounted within a housing 10securedto the inner face of the upright. A recess 11 is formed withinthe slide, and is adapted, when said slide reaches its uppermostposition, to receive a locking stud 12 formed at one end of a lever 13which is fulcrumed upon one side of the upright l and is held normallyin a predetermined position by means of a spring 1 1.

A curved loop 15 straddles and is pivotally connected to the uprightportion 1 and is located in the path of the arm 6, this loop.beingadapted to embrace the arm when it is raised to its highest point andthus reinforce it so that it will be better able to stand transversestrains. 7

Studs 16 extend downwardly from the outer end portion of the arm 6 andhave wheels 1'? mountedupon the lower end portions thereof, each ofthese wheels being formed with a series of recesses 18 in the An opening19 extends through the arm at a point between the wheels 17 and has ablock 20 slidably mounted within it, there being a roller 21 within thelower portion of the block while a backing strip 22 contacts with theupper end of said block and is held to the arm 6 by means of springs 23.If desired an additional spring 24 may be secured to the arm 6 andarranged to bear downwardly upon the strip 22.

The pouch 25 adapted to be used in connection with the apparatus has aloop 26 at its upper end and another loop 27 at its lower end, the loop26 being provided with a cross bar 28, the ends of which are rounded andadapted to project into recesses 18 in the two wheels 17, as shown inFig. 2.

A tubular guide-way 29 is arranged longitudinally upon the lower portionof the upright 1 and below the slot 3. This guide has a longitudinalslot 30 through which extends an arm 31 provided, at one end, with aslide 32 adapted to slide and rotate within the guide 29. Slot 80 has anextension 33 at its lower end into which the arm 31 is adapt-- ed tomove after it.reaches the lower end of the slot 30, thus permitting thesaid arm to swing across the door opening. A locle ing pin 3% may beemployed for the purpose of securing the slide 32 at a desired eleation, there being a suitable number of recesses 35 within the slide,any one of which being adapted to receive the pin 34.

Secured to the outer end of the arm -31 are spring clip members 36adapted to grip the loop 27 heretofore referred to.

A spreading device 37 is interposed between the clip members 30 andsecured at one end of a rod 38 mounted for rotation on the arm 31, therebeing a c *ank at the inner end of said rod and by means of which thespreading device 37 can be rotated so as to shift the clip members 36away from each other.

The receiving crane adapted to be used in connection with the deliveringcrane, consists of a post or upright eh) having a ion gitudinal passageor recess L1 in one face thereof and into which opens a slot 42extending longitudinally of the post and provided, at its lower end,with an extension 1-3 projecting into one side of the post. A slide it,similar to the slide 5, is mounted to slide and rotate within the slot12 and has an arm 4.5 extending from it and through the slot. A cord tois secured to the slide and extends over a sheave at? mounted on thepost 140,

this cord being attached to a counter-balance a8 mounted to slide withina guide-wit; 4th secured to the post.

Arm 1-5 is adapted, when in its uppermost position, to be engaged by acurved bracing loop 50 which is pivotally connected to the post orupright L0 and is adapted to embrace and hold the arm 45 so that it maybetter resist any transverse strain to which it may be subjected.

A recess 51 is formed longitudinally within the top of the arm t5 and isintersected by a cross groove A. rod 53 is mounted for rotation withinthe groove 51 and has a engaging arm integral therewith and ex tendingradially therefrom. said arm being provided at its free end with springretaining devices diverging in the direction of the arm to. A slide ismounted on the arm 45 and within guide straps 57. this slide beingadapted to extend across the groove and thus hold the arm 54 extendedfrom either side of the arm 45.

It is to be understood that a delivering crane such as has beendescribed is to be located at the station and adjacent the re ceivingcrane. and. if desired. a receiving cranesuch as has been described, maybe located upon the car, one of the cranes being preferably arrangedupon or constituting an integral part of one door amb, while the othercrane can bear the same relation to the opposite side of the door.

hen it is desired to deliver a mail pouch from a car to a station, thetwo arms 6 and b1, which are normally located within the slot extensionsat and 33 respectively, are swung away from the door opening so as toextend laterally from the side of the car. The upper loop of the mailpouch is then placed with the ends of its handle or bar 28 seated withinrecesses in the two wheels 17, the roller 21 being so disposed as tobear downwardly on this bar 28 and hold it against accidentaldisplacement. The upper face of the bar is to be fiat. or, if desired,can be slightly concave so as to form an efficient seat for the roller.After the pouch has been attached to the upper arm 6 in the mannerdescribed, said arm can be pushed upwardly until the recess 11 assumes aposit-ion opposite the stud 12 whereupon said stud will spring into therecess and lock the slide 5 and arm (5 in raised position, the arm beingengaged by the loop 15. Arm 31 is then elevated and by spreading apartthe clip members 36, the loop 27 can be caused to assume a positionbetween them after which the clip members may be released so as tospringinto engagement with the loop. While these clip members are being placedin engagement with the loop 27, the arm 31 is preferabl locked by meansof the pin 31:. After the parts have been placed in engagement, however,said pin can be removed and the pouch 25 will therefore be held tautbetween the two arms 6 and 31. The crane at the station where the pouchis to be delivered, has its arm to extended toward the track and withthe arm 5% pointed in the direction of the approaching car. Theelevation of this arm is such that. when the car passes the crane, saidarm will enter the upper loop 26 and pull it so as to disengage the baror handle 28 from the wheel 17, these wheels rotating as the bar 28leaves them. At the same time the lower loop 27 is pulled from betweenthe clip members and the pouch is thus left suspended upon the arm 5-1;,the springs 55 serving to prevent it from becoming displaced. After thebag or pouch has been delivered the arm 6 can be drawn downwardly untilit reaches the lower end of the slot in the upright portion 1 and can bethus swung into the slot extension l. During the completion of thedownward movement of arm 6 it will move against the upper projecting endof the slide 32 and force it downwardly thus bringing the arm 31 at thelower end of its slot and in position to swing into the slot extension33 and across the door opening. The arm 45 011 the stationary crane canbe lower-ed in a similar manner and swung away from the track after saidarm reaches a position at one side of the slot extension 43.

In order that the mail pouch may be properly cushioned when engaged bythearm 54, a block 58 is slidably mounted within a slot 59 formedlongitudinally within the arm 54, this slot having oppositely eX-tending stop pins 60 projecting beyond the sides of the arm. A spring 61is arranged within the slot 59 and it serves to retard the backwardmovement of the block 58 and its arms 60 when said arms are struck bythe pouch en 'aged by the arm 54..

It is to be un erstood of course that various changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

hat is claimed is 1. Apparatus of the class described including avertically slidable counter-balanced arm, means thereon for engaging andholding a mail pouch, and a hinged reinforcing member in the path of andadapted to engage and straddle the arm when said arm is elevated.

2. Apparatus of the class described including a longitudinally slottedupstanding member, an arm mounted for sliding and swinging movementrelative to said member, a counter -balance connected to the arm, meansupon the arm for engaging and supporting a pouch, and a reinforcingmember hingedly connected to said upstanding por tion and adapted tostraddle and engage the arm when said arm is elevated.

3. Apparatus of the class described including a supporting structure, anarm outstanding therefrom, revoluble pouch supporting elements upon thearm and spring pressed means upon the arm for frictionally enga ing thatportion of the pouch interpose between said elements.

4. Apparatus of the class described in cluding an arm, revoluble pouchsupporting elements mounted thereon, a pouch, a bar thereon having itsterminals removably engaging said elements, and spring pressed meansupon the arm for frictionally engaging said bar to hold it againstaccidental displacement relative to said supporting ele ment.

5. Apparatus of the class described including an arm, wheels mounted forrotation thereon, said wheels having peripheral recesses, a pouch, a barsecured thereto, and having its ends detachably seated in recesseswithin the wheels, a spring pressed block movably mounted on the arm,and an anti- .friction device carried by the block and detachablyengaging a pouch, and means upon said lower arm for disengaging saidspring means from the pouch.

7.,Apparatus of the class described including a receiving crane, saidcrane consisting of an upstanding slotted portion, an arm slidablymounted therein, a pouch engaging arm mounted for swinging movementrelative to said arm, and means upon the counter-balanced arm forholding the pouch engaging arm against swinging movement.

8, In apparatus of the class described a receiving crane including anupstanding portion, a counter-balanced arm movably mounted thereon, saidarm having a recess, a pouch engaging element mounted for swingingmovement within the recess and extending beyond either side of the arm,and means upon said arm for holding said device against swingingmovement.

9. Apparatus of the class described in cluding an upstandinglongitudinally slotted structure, an arm mounted for sliding andswinging movement relative to said structure, a counter-balance for saidarm, said

